Defiling the temple of God

“What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.” Mark 7:20

The word defilement means "to make unclean", usually referring to defiling something or someone.  In the old testament, God gave ceremonial laws to the Israelites to cleanse themselves from defilement, as no defiled person could enter the Lord's sanctuary.

The key verse is from Mark 7, which shows Jesus and the Pharisees disputing about what defiles a man. Jesus says that the outside does not defile a person, but what comes out of the heart does, and he goes on to list the sins and evil thoughts that arise from the heart that defile a person. Mark 7:22

The passage reminds me of one of my friends' stories about a business trip where his counterpart sent a prostitute to his hotel room, which he rejected outright and sent her away. To illustrate his feelings, he used this graphic metaphor, saying that committing this sexual sin would be like pooping in the middle of the church’s sanctuary. I thought it was a rightly descriptive statement as our temple is sacred, especially when it comes to sexual sins and idolatry that defile the temple's cleanliness. 

As we are under the new covenant, our bodies become God's temple, and when we defile ourselves through sin, we must confess our sins to God, and only the blood of Jesus can cleanse our hearts and make us right with God. (1 John 1:9)

The cleanliness of our heart matters. Let the Word of God dwell richly in our hearts, and let the Holy Spirit sanctify them to make them clean at all times!

Blessing prayer: Thank you for washing us with the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin and evil thoughts. Let the Holy Spirit sanctify our hearts and give us a clean heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen